That was the first time
by Laura's Fantasia
Summary: Snapshots into key moments in the lives of Scorpius Malfoy and Lily Potter during their time together at Hogwarts. Scorpius/Lily. Scorpius' POV.
1. Sorting Hat

**This story was inspired by a number of other fanfics, not all of which I can remember right now. However, I know that at least one of them was by Jess.91, so kudos to her! :D Anyway, I have 6 chapters planned for this, one for each year that Lily and Scorpius are both in the school. The rating is for language, and for a little angry exchange between Scorpius and James later in the story. Enjoy, and don't forget to review!**

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**That was the first time...**

Sorting Hat

My thoughts of her to start with were not great.

I watched as she was sorted into Gryffindor, along with the rest of her family. Hardly surprising really. I mean, the Hat wasn't really going to separate her, mark her as different to the other Potters and Weasleys, was it? That would be near heresy. All the Potter-Weasley clan have to go into Gryffindor – I don't know why they even bother putting the hat on those kids.

James Potter, arrogant bastard that he is, glanced over at my own cousin as she was sorted into Slytherin. The look on his face said that she shouldn't have expected any "better", because her aunt married a Malfoy. Better in his definition meaning anything outside of Slytherin. Better than bloody Gryffindor. Bravery can easily translated as stupidity if you look at its face value. That's what my dad and granddad always told me. Mostly granddad. Dad mostly just stays quiet, and nods occasionally. Still, I knew I'd always be in Slytherin. It's in my blood. There's nothing wrong with using your brain to work things out rather than just rushing in, "all guns blazing" as the muggle would say. That's what the Gryffindors do. I guess they're just jealous that they don't have the intelligence for Ravenclaw or Slytherin, nor the supposed loyalty for Hufflepuff. The Hat seriously considered making me wear blue, but I said no. Slytherin is where I belong.

But anyway, back to _her_. She was tiny. _Really_ tiny. Like, mouse-tiny. Of course, most of the first years were small, but her! The only person shorter than her was that Creevey kid, who'd also been sorted into Gryffindor. His uncle had been a war hero too, except he hadn't survived the Battle of Hogwarts. Colin Creevey, one of the underage students who'd stayed to fight. Now _that_ was bravery, I could grudgingly admit to myself – staying to fight when you knew you would most likely die, yet you actually had a real excuse to not be there.

I noticed her eyes wandering to the great, golden plaque that stood behind the Headmistress' chair. Hundreds of names of those who had died in this very school, years ago now. In the Entrance Hall was yet another plaque, larger still, with those who had been killed outside the school in the more recent fight against the Dark Lord, and another at the top of the first flight of stairs detailing those who'd died in the First War. Then there was that other monument, in the middle of the lake. Except... well, I don't really like thinking about that one.

I watched as an expression of sadness crossed across her face, most likely as she picked out names she'd been told stories about as a younger kid. Fred Weasley, Colin Creevey, Nymphadora and Remus Lupin... I'd heard stories about them too. Less complimentary, probably. Fred failing half his OWLs because he'd spent too much time playing pranks. Colin with his incessant photography. Nymphadora with her garish hair colour and clumsiness. Remus... the werewolf. Had almost killed Severus Snape. I wondered if she knew these things. Probably doesn't want to. Probably prefers her perfect image of perfect war heroes who died so that we could live on. All that shit. Not that she'd ever talk to a Slytherin at any rate, even if she did want to know. I'm sure her father could sugar coat the stories to continue her image of perfection.

_Oh crap. She's noticed me looking at her._ I remember the thought coming to the forefront of my mind as I met her eyes for a moment. Even from across the room I could tell that she had dark brown eyes. Not that I looked for long. I quickly went back to my food, chewing steadily and letting the talk of quidditch wash in and out of my ears.

That was the first time I saw her.

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**As it seemed quite popular with my other story, I will do the same for this. Either my top one or two reviewers, announced by me after chapter 5 is published, will be able to request a banner for me to make, for one of their stories. More details on this will be coming later! But for now, all you need to do to be in with a chance is review! :D**


	2. Library

**Thanks to **UnexpectedInspiration** for the review - I'm glad you think I got the character right. He'll be changing pretty rapidly because all the chapters are about a year apart - as said in the summary, these are just snapshots from their lives. Anyway, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

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Library

All through her first year I saw her, rushing about to classes, eating in the Great Hall, studying in the library. Summer holidays came and went and suddenly I was in my third year, and she in her second. I continued to watch her, and nothing I saw repudiated my original hypothesis that she was the same as all the others. Great at quidditch; her brothers were both on the Gryffindor quidditch team. Got good marks, apparently easily, except in Potions and History of Magic; identical to her siblings. Emerging sense of humour; she was related to members of both the original Marauders and the New Marauders.

It was late one Friday night and I was studying in the library when I heard a noise a few aisles away. A light thud, the sound of papers scattering, a soft swear word. Gently dropping my quill onto the desk I stood and went to investigate. Just because I can be an overly curious 14-year-old at times. Someone was crouching down with their back to me, a great amount of newspaper articles on the floor around them. I picked up a couple, clearing my throat lightly so she would know I was there, and she turned. It was her.

"Oh..." I muttered. Hadn't been expecting that. _Great, I sound like an idiot._

"Uh... hi." She sounded as surprised as me. Not really hostile though. That was a nice change. "I'm Lily..."

I blinked at her in surprise. "Yeah, I know." She seemed to be waiting for me to say something back. "Oh – Scorpius." As if she didn't already know that. Still, it was the first time I'd ever spoken civilly with a Potter. "Um... here," I gestured my hand towards her with the articles in, only then noticing what exactly they were. Obituaries. "Huh?" I brought them back towards me so I could read the names. There were loads... It seemed like a whole newspaper detailing peoples deaths. I saw the dates at the top of the pages – July 1998 – and suddenly understood what the younger girl had been looking at. Looking up at her, I noticed she seemed suddenly quite embarrassed, not meeting my eyes properly. "Why're you looking at that? Can't you just ask your family about it?"

She shrugged, a little uncomfortably. "I'm daddy's little girl. He's not gonna let me know anything that might give me nightmares. James and Albus are even worse. How else am I going to find out what these people were like?"

I was surprised, I'll admit it. Apparently she didn't like being coddled by her older brothers, although they did it all the time. That they were far too protective was obvious to anyone. "I could tell you some things," I offered suddenly, not realising what I had said until a few seconds later. "I mean... if you wanted... it wouldn't really be complimentary what my dad's told me..."

Once again she surprised me by nodding, taking the remaining newspapers from my hands and stuffing them rather messily back into their slot in the bookcase. "I'm sure it'll be more accurate than what these articles are making out. What's your dad told you about them? Who do you know about?"

"Quite a few... Fred, Colin... a bit about the Lupins, but that's mostly from granddad."

"Colin," she said softly, obviously thinking of her friend's uncle as opposed to her own. Odd girl...

"Well, he was a mudbl..." I didn't really mean anything derogatory when I said the word, I was just used to saying it. Now there's an example of bad parenting. I was swearing by the time I was six. But Lily might not appreciate it, really. "–um, muggleborn... a year younger than our dads. Same age as your mum. I guess you've heard about his camera?"

"Sort of," she replied, leaning back against the bookcase. She had either not noticed or was ignoring my slip of the tongue, I wasn't sure which, but she was obviously interested especially considering that she was listening to a Malfoy, of all people. She really hadn't been told anything if this was so interesting to her already.

I also leaned against the bookcase, careful not to crush the spines and keeping an eye out for the librarian or any wandering Marauders who might take offence to a Potter and a Malfoy conversing. "Well apparently, he always had it with him. Worshipped your dad – my dad was constantly teasing him about it, especially when Lockhart forced him to do joint photos..."

And that was the first time I talked to her.

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**I 3 reviews! D**


	3. The New Marauders

**Thanks again to **UnexpectedInspiration **for reviewing, and to those who put this story on favourites or alert. I'm not convinced about how this chapter turned out and may yet change it depending on the response I get... Just remember that James says what he does in the heat of the moment and does genuinely regret it afterwards, although Scorpius may not realise it. That said, I may still change it, like I said. Just let me know what you think. James' comment is also the other reason for the rating.**

New Marauders

I continued to speak to her at odd occasions throughout that year, until finally we both rose a year yet again. We were both aware that even though we weren't technically doing anything wrong, if her brothers found out then there would be trouble for both of us. I'd come to the conclusion that she was indeed different. Maybe not by much, but she could definitely claim a small amount of uniqueness. The Hat had considered placing her in Ravenclaw too, but she had told it her place was in Gryffindor. It had said she reminded it of another young pupil who had said something similar when Ravenclaw had been suggested for him. She was the one to be surprised when I eventually admitted that that student had most likely been me. It was only later in the year that I realised just how different she was to certain members of her family, extended or otherwise.

The New Marauders were hardly the kindest people in the world when it came to Slytherins. James Potter, Fred Weasley, Guy Wood and Lorcan Scamander. All Gryffindor 6th years. All sons of war heroes. All arrogant as hell. Well. Guy could be civil occasionally, if none of the others were around and he had nothing better to do. Lorcan was just plain odd. But James and Fred – they took pleasure in making all Slytherins' lives as miserable as possible. And somehow, they managed to do that _and_ remain the most popular kids in the school. The teachers turned a blind eye half the time. Potters hating Malfoys... it was just expected.

Ever since I had joined Hogwarts it had been one thing after another. First just general teasing in the hallways. Then a fake birthday present that exploded green goo all over me, also ruining a book I'd just opened. And of course, they loved the turn-upside-down spell. Levicorpus. How many times have I heard that word and then been flipped over, seeing an upside-down Marauder approaching, laughing. Sure, I fought back. Caught them all with decent curses at one point or other. Even provoked them occasionally. But it finally reached a head that Easter. I was just passing in the corridor and I heard those four laughing, and a younger voice begging to be let down. I couldn't leave whoever it was. Turning the corner I saw my cousin – little Charis, the same age as Lily, being hovered upside down by Fred. The quartet were laughing uproariously and not seeming to realise that Charis was terrified of heights and was an astonishingly pale colour.

"Scor!" she called out upon seeing me, struggling again against the charm. I could see the beginnings of tears in her eyes, even if the others couldn't. I knew that they did have a limit to how far they would go with their pranks and if they had seen her crying they would have stopped. However, they were too busy giggling to notice anyone else's feelings, let alone their victim's. Fred turned upon hearing my name, releasing the spell as he did so. Charis let out a shriek as she dropped and I whipped out my own wand in time to shout the more comfortable floating charm – Wingardium Leviosa – and stop her from crashing head first into the carpeted floor.

"Watch it Fred," I heard Guy mutter, but by this point I was too furious to care that at least some members of their group had some restraint.

"What the hell were you doing to her?" I growled, quivering slightly and my wand still out as I motioned Charis to go back to the common room. She quickly did as she was told seeing the Marauders' attention now focussed on me.

"C'mon Scor," James replied, grinning wickedly at the use of Charis' nickname for me. "Just a little fun. We won the war, we're allowed to nowadays. Oh, I forget – you didn't win, did you? You and your Death Eater family – "

"Shut it!" I yelled, tired to breaking point of this constant reminder that my dad's side of the family had been on the wrong side of the war. It was always that one point that the Marauders would come back to. "You know as well as me that if it wasn't for my grandma, your dad would be dead!"

"Yeah, except, my dad did die. And then he came back. So it wouldn't really have mattered anyway if Narcissa had said he was still alive. Better than Mouldy Voldy did, don'tcha think?"

"You don't know that the Dark Lord wouldn't have succeeded in killing him the second –"

"I'm tired of talking," Fred interrupted, lifting his wand to aim it at more. Used to this, and with my wand already raised, I pointed it at him.

"Petrificus Totalus!"

"Expelliarmus!"

"Tallentegra!"

The curses flew across the small corridor, two aimed at me and one at Fred. Luckily the freezing spell missed and just shattered into the wall, but I felt my wand slip out of my hand and go to Lorcan and Fred was suddenly dancing down the corridor.

Before I could react I felt someone grab my arms from behind and twist them, slamming me around and into the wall. It was James. What a surprise. "Going for the muggle side of things, _Jamie_?" I taunted, breathing hard. "Not surprising... you're descended from mudbloods and blood traitors." _So I'll admit, I did kind of live up to their expectations. I was hardly an innocent party in all of this. But that still didn't make four against one fair. Even if... it wasn't actually four against one on this occasion. More like one on one._

I was drawn back and slammed against the wall once more by the taller boy. "_Don't_ you ever use those words!" he ordered, lowering his voice slightly to continue. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Lorcan and Guy following Fred down the corridor, trying to remember the reversal spell for Tallentegra. It was pretty obscure, that was why I'd chosen it. "It's not like you can boast about your family roots. Inbred purebloods. Is that why you_ really_ wanted us to stop having fun with your cousin? Started fucking her yet, is that it? Gotta protect the future kid-maker."

I was shocked. _Really_ shocked. I hadn't known that James would sink that low in his insults. But I could hardly let that go.

"You bastard..." I began, before being interrupted by a recognisable voice.

"JAMES!" It was Lily. And unless I was much mistaken, she had heard his comment. A satisfied smirk tinged the edges of my expression as James' hold on me loosened and he turned to face his youngest sister.

"Uh... Lily, listen..."

He let me go and I spun around, directing a well-aimed punch at his perfect facial features. It hit him squarely in the nose and he staggered backwards, clutching his nose. Lily opened her mouth, paused, then just sent me a reproachful look and turned back to her eldest brother. "You deserved that," she ground out, a surprisingly angry expression on her face. "And when dad finds out what you said he is gonna be _so_ furious!"

"No! Please, Lily – "

"There is no chance that you're getting out of this scot-free!" she yelled back.

"Scot-free?!" he demanded, gesturing at his now bloody face. "This isn't 'scot-free'!"

"I don't care! You're supposedly 'protecting me', but then you go and say something like that! What exactly is it you're protecting me from? Yourself?"

"No! I – Lily, come back! I didn't mean to say – I'm sorry!"

"Don't apologise to me! Apologise to him!" she shouted, storming off.

He did so, grudgingly but apparently genuinely, just as Lorcan, Fred and Guy returned.

That was the first time I really knew that she wasn't like her brothers.

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**Note: Fred, Guy and Lorcan do not hear or see this exchange, since they're busy down the corridor.**

**Let me know what you think about this... As I've said, I'm not convinced. But please, no flames!**


	4. Secret Staircase

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**Sorry, I know it's been a while but exams have started for me now. I had 6 hours worth today... -.- But I managed to get this together, so here ya go! It's not brilliant, but I think it worked out okay. Thanks to **UnexpectedInspiration, boopotter **and **msllamalover **for reviewing. To **msllamalover**, I'm kinda picturing Scorpius as unsure whether he should live up to the typical Malfoy everyone thinks he is anyway, or make his own way. That make sense? **

**Enjoy! :)**

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Secret staircase

I continued to get to know her over the next year. At first she just apologised over and over for what James had said, before I managed to half-convince her that it wasn't her fault that her brother was an arrogant git. She still mentioned it sometimes, but it gradually faded.

So. My OWL year. Luckily it was the Maruaders' NEWT year too, so they were also busy. Besides, they hadn't really messed with me after that last incident. I think James might have actually been ashamed of himself and decided to lay off me and others. He got a howler at breakfast a few days later from his parents. That was satisfying. Or you never know. Maybe they matured a bit. Stranger things have happened.

It was a quidditch match. Gryffindor versus Slytherin. The Gryffindor team was almost entirely made up of members of either the Marauders or the Potter-Weasley clan – James, of course, was the captain. He was keeper. Albus was a chaser. Fred and Guy were beaters. Nandira Patil was another chaser, with Billie Hearn as the other person to make up the team. Then Lily was seeker, same as me. I'd got the position last year, also the same as Lily. There were of course accusations of bias concerning James' team choices, but the simple matter was that Weasleys and Potters were just good at quidditch. Their training had started young, Lily often joked.

The middle of the match. Gryffindor were 20 points up. It could go either way. I was circling the pitch, opposite to Lily. I think we both spotted the glint of gold at the exact same time. We dived at the same time, at any rate. With the crowd letting out a roar of approval as we chased the small, flying ball and the adrenalin rushing through my veins, it was an exhilarating race. We were neck and neck – almost on top of each other really. Now that was not a thought I needed at this time. I gulped and tried to ignore her closeness, which was more difficult than it might sound considering we were on brooms. The wind was directing upwards, making her quidditch robes – Who had designed them anyway? Who decided that quidditch robes should be so decorative? – fly up and brush against my legs as we flew. _Dammit, Scorpius, concentrate! Ignore the girl!_

Suffice to say, I failed. I almost flew into a solid wooden rafter, if you must know. Ended up sprawled on the grass with Lily clutching the snitch above me, celebrating with her team mates. My own team mates did not take it well.

Later I entered the castle slowly, still in my mud-covered quidditch robes. Rounds of 'Potter is our Queen' were still being sung by Gryffindors as they cheerily left the stadium. That song could apparently be adapted to any occasion. Sometimes it was the customary 'Weasley is our King', sometimes 'Potter is our King', or occasionally the other houses would steal it and turn it into 'Limnson is our King' or the like. My mum had told me how it was my dad who originally started the less celebratory version when he was at school to make fun of Ronald Weasley, Gryffindor keeper of the time.

Having been made a prefect that year, much to my parents' delight, I decided to make use of the glorious prefect bathroom and headed up the stairs. Making my way down the corridor to the next staircase I yawned, stretching slightly as I did so. I jumped when a head appeared under my outstretched arm, and smiled when I saw it was only Lily, letting my arm down to rest on her 

shoulders. "Hey," she greeted me, flushed slightly – probably from the celebrations. "Just escaped, but there's a party in the Gryffindor common room soon so I can't talk for too long."

"Yeah, congratulations. Shame that neither Gryffindor nor Slytherin have a chance in hell of winning the cup this year, with the Hufflepuffs so far ahead of us all."

"Thanks," she grinned. She'd definitely come out of her shell in the last few years, and was no longer the tiny girl I had first observed in the Great Hall. In fact, she was only a few inches shorter than me, although that was not a great achievement for most people. "You did well too."

I raised my eyebrows at her in a comical manner. "Really."

"Well... sorta... apart from that last bit. I'm glad you didn't hit that rafter."

"Well yes. I must say that I am rather happy I didn't hit it either," I replied wryly.

We continued to exchange friendly banter for the next few minutes until Lily paused her steps and looked at me. "Is there a reason you keep playing with my hair?" she asked, a mildly amused look on her face. I froze and looked over to see that the hand resting around her shoulders was indeed entwined in her ginger hair. I went red – but only the tiniest bit – and began to mutter an apology, pulling my hand away from her head. I stopped when she laughed, grabbed the withdrawing hand and pulled it back onto her shoulder, wrapping her other arm around my waist and pulling me along so I had no choice but to continue walking.

"I believe I may have made you blush, Mr Malfoy," she teased, and I had to hide a smile.

"Well I believe you were mistaken. A Malfoy never reduces himself to such an action," I declared proudly, my straight face only breaking when she released the hand on her shoulder and poked me in the ribs.

"Oy! You could do some serious damage if you keep abusing me like that!"

She was about to reply when she glanced down the corridor. An approaching chorus of 'Potter is our Queen' was rapidly coming up the nearest staircase.

"Shit," she muttered softly, dropping her arm from around my waist and in that same movement taking a step away from me with a regretful expression.

"In here?" I suggested, pulling aside a tapestry to reveal a narrow, hidden staircase. Her eyes lit up and she brushed passed me into the secret passageway and I quickly followed her, dropping the tapestry just in time. I kept my back to her as I waited for the crowd to pass. It was easy to make out James' slightly out of tune singing as leading the group. The chorus faded and I turned to find Lily right in front of me.

"I'm sorry," she murmured quietly, staring down at the floor. Frowning, I reached out and lifted her head by the chin so she was facing me.

"Sorry for what? Not still what James said to me?"

She chewed on the edge of her lip before answering. "No. Well, I am sorry for that, but it's just... they're so overprotective. My parents, and my brothers. I wish we didn't have to constantly hide... whatever it is we have," she eventually admitted.

"Hun, I doubt my family would be thrilled either if they found out. It's not just yours."

She looked up at me then, and I noticed just how brown her eyes were. It was like... a chocolaty colour.

"What is it that we have?" she asked, so quietly that I almost didn't hear her.

I stared at her, a million thoughts crowding my head. "You tell me..." I whispered back. She was close... really close. Suddenly I was very glad I had decided to not go straight to the common room after the match.

That was the first time I kissed her.

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**Reviews much appreciated!**


	5. Faceless Monument

**Well guys, I know it's been a while. This chapter is dedicated to UnexpectedInspiration, not only for being a loyal reviewer but for prompting me into actually finishing this story, whether intentional or not. That's right, it is finished, so there is no chance of me not updating it with the final chapter. Remember that my 'best reviewer' will receive a banner made by me for one of their stories, so keep letting me know what you think of this. :) Also, finally got around to making a banner for this story - here it is! First Time banner. **

**That all said, enjoy the penultimate chapter of _That was the first time._**

Faceless Monument

Another year had passed. James and the rest of the Marauders were gone. Lily and I had been meeting up secretly, exchanging quick kisses. Both of us knew that this perfection could not last forever. For one thing, she was doing her OWLs, while I was looking ahead to my NEWTs, and then what I would do after I left Hogwarts. Now that was a scary thought. But that was really the least of our problems when it came to our relationship. Family was the true problem. And we needed to talk about it, rather than keep putting it off.

I think that's why she asked me to meet her by the lake. The lake. It's hardly my favourite place in the world. It's the monument... always makes me nervous. Still, she was correct in her reasoning – in the freezing weather of January, no one else would be out there to see us together.

So I made my way out there, a snake-adorned scarf wrapped around my neck and dark grey woollen gloves protecting my hands from the biting cold. This winter had been particularly vicious in terms of the weather, with snow covering the ground from mid-November onwards and still there now. Every few days a new layer arrived to replace the older, muddied ice and restoring the image of the perfect, crystalline landscape.

She wasn't there when I arrived, so I leaned back against the tree facing the lake, unwillingly facing the other monument to the dead at Hogwarts. The Faceless Monument, they called it. It was aptly named – a stone carving of a blank face, no distinctive features at all, and entwined in rose vines that were in bloom all year long. The red flowers contrasted with the white surroundings and frost-covered stone and it was undoubtedly beautiful. A narrow wooden bridge was constructed that led up to it from the other side of the lake, so people could pay their respects and read what it said without having to swim and risk an encounter with the Giant Squid. But how it looked wasn't the reason I disliked it so much. It was what it represented. There were no names inscribed, just a few sentences on the marble platform beneath it.

_Muggle and Wizard alike. Your identities are hidden from us, but we salute you nonetheless.  
To the faceless victims._

A dedication to those who had died in either war, but were not recognised. Bodies never found; faces distorted to such a degree that they were unrecognisable. People who disappeared or went into hiding, but never re-emerged. It was impossible to list everyone who had been killed because of the Dark Lord's spree of murder, and this was where everyone else was dedicated. The first time I read those words they sent chills through me; struck a chord someplace deep inside. The discomfort of being reminded what my parents had supported, taken part in, was such that I tried to avoid the lake altogether. When I did come here though, it always surfaced in my thoughts.

"Scorpius?" a soft voice spoke from beside me. I recognised it immediately as Lily's. I closed my eyes momentarily and then turned my gaze to her, away from the monument, and smiled at her gently.

"Hey. How're you?" I asked, bringing a hand up to stroke the side of her face. She rested her cheek against it, looking unusually gloomy.

"We really need to talk," she replied, not really giving a straight answer. _Oh no... talk. That doesn't sound good, the way she's saying it._ She pulled away from me and my gloved hand fell down to my 

side, feeling as heavy as my stomach did at that moment. She continued without really giving me a chance to respond, and not meeting my eyes. The pit in my stomach got deeper with trepidation. "We can't keep doing this."

"Why not?" I demanded immediately, terribly afraid that I knew where she was going with that comment.

"I... I just... Can you really see a future for us? With your family and my family, and our different houses, we're supposed to hate each other. Not... this."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. This wasn't the Lily I knew. The Lily I knew didn't care about the masses. Perhaps she was getting more like her brothers as she grew older, but there hadn't been many – if any – signs of this before."So you're just going to conform? Go with the flow, so what's easiest road to take? Lily Potter, you are unbelievable! I cannot believe you are saying this, when we've been friends for years, more than that for the last year, and only _now_ are you getting cold feet!" I hadn't been so angry with anyone since James' comment about Charis all those years ago. And once again my fury was directed at a Potter. She _was_ more like her brothers than I'd thought.

"Scorpius, please..." she began, sounding tearful as if _she_ hadn't been the one to instigate this break-up. Break-up. It sounded so... awful. But I couldn't let her be the one to finish it, my pride just wouldn't stand up to that. So it would definitely have to be me.

"No!" I half-shouted, fists clenched and looking her straight in the eye – she was taller than me now, I realised. Strange how I'd never noticed that before. "If this is what you want, then fine. This is over. Everything – _everything_ – between us, it ends now. I thought better of you, Potter. I thought you were different to the rest of your bloody family. But evidently I was wrong."

I turned sharply on my heels and marched off, still fuming and not hearing her shout after me, nor eventually dissolve into tears. _She's like them. She's always been like them – she is _one_ of them. And you, stupid boy, thought she was 'different'. She is a Potter, and you are a Malfoy. There is, and never will be, a chance for you to be anything more than enemies._

The implosion within me at this revelation was horrific. That was the first time I shouted at her...

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**Well, it couldn't all go smoothly forever now could it? On that note, please review and let me know what you think.**


	6. Last Train Home

**Well, here we are. Finally. Sorry to keep you in suspense, but this story is, now complete. :) Thank you for reading, reviewing, favourite-ing and ****alert-ing, it means a lot to me. And since I did promise to make a graphic for my best reviewer, it's turned out to be UnexpectedInspiration, again. It seems you are officially my favourite reviewer lol. I've given up on putting the banner in here, so if you want to see it, the link is in my profile, which doesn't mind html code, unlike this story.  
**

**So, enjoy, and thanks for sticking with me everyone!**

Last Train Home.

So, I had reached the end. NEWTs were done, Hufflepuff had won both the House and Quidditch cups yet again, and it was my final hours as a student at Hogwarts. It hadn't been a pleasant last year. I hadn't understood just how much I depended on Lily to be my little light; the one person who could brighten up a dark day. For a couple of weeks after we broke up she attempted to talk to me, but I was still do angry that I refused to respond. It culminated in her getting so furious back at me that I ended up with a black eye. That girl sure could pack one hell of a punch. After that, she avoided me as much as I ignored her. It was only a few months later that I finally calmed down completely and realised that I might have just made the worst mistake of my life so far. But, she had instigated the break-up. It would have happened anyway even if I hadn't flown off the handle.

I started going out with another girl; Bianca Borgin. She was a 7th year Slytherin with a rich, important family. Exactly as was expected of me. Supposedly, she was perfect; courteous, good-looking, well-mannered and pureblood. But, there was never really a spark. None of the banter I had been able to exchange with Lily. She was just too... to be brutally honest, and I'd never say this to her face... too boring. Prim, proper, I didn't want any of that. What I wanted was someone exciting, with a mind of their own and unafraid to show it. Someone who wouldn't conform for the sake of fitting in, someone... Someone like Lily. Or at least, the Lily I thought I knew. Anyway, I split up with Biana about half way through this year, for a very vague set of reasons that she wasn't really too thrilled about. About the same time, Lily had hooked up with a Ravenclaw boy in the same year as her, but they didn't last long either. A couple of months. 2 months, 14 days... Yeah. I just wanted to see how long she could last with someone else, and found a certain amount of pride in the fact that we lasted longer than she and the Ravenclaw.

But since then, nothing much had happened. In the corridors we walked straight past each other, not saying a word. I beat her in the quidditch match last year between Gryffindor and Slytherin, she beat me this year. Both of us were thrashed by Hufflepuff seeker Mark Dessen, as usual. Genius at quidditch, and he's only a 4th year.

The train was due to arrive soon, and I was wandering the grounds without a lot of purpose in me. I had secured a job working for St Mungo's as a potion maker, assuming I got the grades I was predicted, which would begin a few weeks after my NEWT results arrived. I wasn't particularly worried about them – Herbology might be a bit iffy on getting an O as I was supposed to according to Professor Longbottom, but other than that I should be fine.

"S-Scorpius?" a quiet voice said from behind me – I nearly jumped a mile but managed to retain some dignity and only flinched a little, turning and viewing the girl there in surprise. Lily Luna Potter. I hadn't spoken to her in over a year, and that was to shout out at her for giving him a broken nose.

"Lily? What – " My voice turned harsher as I remembered that I couldn't allow myself to speak to her civilly. The simple question I had been about to ask turned into a demand for an answer. "What do you want, Potter?"

Her own expression hardened at my response and her chin upped stubbornly. Had I been a touch more perceptive I might have seen the hurt in her eyes, but I wasn't the most charming guy when annoyed with someone. "All I wanted to do was say good luck. In whatever you're doing next. It was 

nice knowing you for those few years, before you became such a git." The last phrase was spoken faster, and kind of ruined the good luck wish she had said beforehand. I had been privately amazed that she could bring herself to speak to me, but if all she wanted was to throw a last few insults then I really couldn't be bothered.

"Thank you. How about next time you don't want someone to be a git, _don't_ break up with them because of what other people think," I sneered, pinpricks of anger resurfacing even now. I hadn't realised quite how bitter I was.

"What?!" Lily demanded incredulously. "I didn't break up with you, you broke up with _me_!"

"Yeah, but you were about to. What was it you said – 'we can't keep doing this'?" he mimicked snidely.

"You _idiot_, Scorpius. You utter idiot! Is that why you broke up with me? Because you thought I was going to anyway?"

"Yes... but... you were. Weren't you?" I questioned, suddenly unsure. Had I been as much of an idiot as Lily was convinced I was?

"No! I wanted us to tell people, stop keeping it a secret!"

I stopped moving as the consequences of that one sentence dawned on me. She hadn't been about to break up with me. She wanted to cement our relationship. And I had been the one to destroy the best thing that ever happened to me.

"Lily – I –" My voice broke and I tried again, meeting her gaze squarely, a hint of desperation visible. "I'm sorry. I am so, so sorry, if I had known – I thought... I was stupid. An utter idiot, you're right. And a git, and I totally deserved that broken nose." If there was even the slightest chance that I could mend what I'd so casually broken with my temper and pride, I would take it without a second thought.

"You thought I was like the rest of my family. How hard can it be to convince a person one tiny fact? I am _not_ like my family, I am different. Can you honestly see anyone else forgiving a Slytherin, and a Malfoy at that, for putting her through hell because they made a stupid mistake?"

If I had heard and interpreted that correctly, I was in luck. A lot of luck. Much more than I deserved.

"Miss Potter, would you care to accompany me on my last train home?" I asked, waiting with baited breath for her reply. This was the ultimatum – what she had wanted before. If she agreed, then it would be obvious to the world (including both our families) that we were together, and serious about it. But if she said no... then it really would be the end.

One tiny flicker of a smile appeared on her face, the blame and hurt I had been oblivious to before melting away to reveal unreserved contentedness. "Of course I will, Mr Malfoy." She linked arms with me, and I saw that finally we were at the same height. Everything was equal. Everything was right.

And that was the first time I knew that I loved her.

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